"Commander," began the Doctor. "I would like to speak to you in my office."

Chakotay nodded, and they walked to the turbolift. Neither man spoke until they were seated in the Doctor's office.

"Mr. Paris seemed to have no physical difficulties during his vision quest," said the Doctor. "However, I would prefer that you supervise his vision quests for now, to be on the safe side."

"That's probably a good idea. Sometimes the quests can be rather intense depending on what happens," answered Chakotay. "I think if Tom sticks with it, he'll find the practice quite beneficial."

"Physically, he appears to have improved a great deal. His blood pressure is within normal limits. His heart rate is also within normal limits. I will be adjusting his evening medications if nothing changes," said the Doctor.

"Well, his quarters are much bigger than a brig cell," began Chakotay. "He has more room to move around, and he's in very familiar surroundings. That has to help."

"It does," replied the Doctor. "I think he will be able to complete the remainder of his punishment without the problems we saw in the brig."

"That's what I think too," replied Chakotay. "And, if consulting his animal guide works out for him too, I think that will help him deal with the demons from his past."

"Which is where quite a few of Mr. Paris' problems lie,"answered the Doctor softly.

"Well, Doctor, if there is nothing else, I need to report to the bridge," Chakotay said as he rose to his feet.

When he walked onto the bridge, Tuvok looked up. "Commander Chakotay, the Captain would like to see you in her Ready Room."

"Thanks, Tuvok,"he replied as he walked over to the Ready Room door and pressed the announcer chime.

The doors slid open and he walked in. "Chakotay," began the Captain as the door slid shut, "have a seat."

He sat down and waited to see what the Captain wanted.

"How did Tom's encounter with his animal guide go?"she asked.

"I think it went well," he replied. "Tom seemed very calm and introspective afterwards. He wants to continue with them. The Doctor said that he observed no physical problems during the quest."

"I'm glad he's found a way to address his problems," the Captain said softly.

"The Doctor wants me to supervise Tom's vision quests for the time being. Just to make sure he has no adverse affects. I'll be replicating him an Akoonah. I also told him that he needs to assemble his own medicine bundle," explained Chakotay.

"It's probably a good idea for him to be supervised at first. That way if something were to happen, you would be there to help him,"she said quietly.

"Tom handled the first vision quest very well, but as he deals with more difficult issues, the vision quests can get more intense," admitted Chakotay.

"It might be best if you warn him ahead of time that they can become intense," advised Captain Janeway.

"I will," Chakotay assured her. "I plan on taking his Akoonah to him tomorrow. We'll talk more about vision quests then. I want Tom to get as much benefit from the vision quests as possible."

"I appreciate you helping him, Chakotay. More than you'll ever know. Tom has so much potential. I hate to see him waste any of it." She picked up a PADD and smiled. "I know his helm reports are almost always perfect. Too bad that has not rubbed off on the others," she said ruefully.

Chakotay laughed. "Just don't make any of our pilots walk the plank," he kidded her. "We need all of them."

She laughed and it was like music to Chakotay's ears. It had been a long time since he heard her really laugh. "Don't worry, I won't. I may give them my 'death glare,' but I won't make the walk the plank."

"Do you need anything else, Captain?" he asked.

"Not right now, Chakotay," she said with a smile.

He smiled back, "Then I'll go back to the bridge." He walked out of the Ready Room and took his seat at the command console. The remainder of the shift passed quietly.

Chakotay sat in his quarters sipping a cup of hot tea. He planned to contact his animal guide before going to bed. He hoped the wolf would have more words of wisdom for him. He was jarred from his contemplation by his door chime. "Come," he called, and the door slid open to admit B'Elanna. He had expected she would be by to see how Tom was doing. "Come on in, B'Elanna," he said.

She walked in and sat in a chair. "Did everything go okay with Tom?" she asked.

"Things went fine, B'Elanna. I think using an animal guide will help Tom a lot. He did well for his first time," he said.

He handed her a cup of hot tea. "I know this is hard on you too. You just have to hang in there, and more importantly, be there for Tom when he is released. He's going to need you," Chakotay said softly.

"I know," she said. "It's so frustrating. I really want to see him. I'm going to ask the Captain tomorrow if I can visit him."

"I wouldn't count on it, B'Elanna. Right now the only people he has any contact with are the Doctor, Neelix, security officers and myself. I am only being allowed to see him to facilitate his vision quests," explained Chakotay.

"Ah, the Doctor must have ordered that." Understanding gleamed in her eyes. "The Doctor has it set up so that Tom gets visitors. He's grown a lot since he was activated."

"Yes, he has," replied Chakotay. "He may be irritating at times, but he really does care for this crew."

"I'm still going to ask the Captain to let me see Tom. Nothing tried, nothing gained," said B'Elanna.

"Just don't get your hopes up," said Chakotay. "She is not likely to yield an inch on this."

"I know," replied B'Elanna with a sigh. "But I have to try."

They sat in silence for a while. Finally, B'Elanna put down her empty tea cup. "Thanks for the tea and for the ear," she said with a small smile.

"Anytime, B'Elanna," he said.

She walked out of his quarters and back down to her own. It was going to be another long and lonely night.